MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguayan president allegedly also has a 22-year old daughter, claims relative

Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo

Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo, a former Catholic bishop that is facing at least two paternity demands was again involved in a similar controversy when his niece claimed his uncle had a non recognized 22 year old daughter who married over the weekend.

Last April Lugo admitted having fathered a two-year old child when he still was a priest. Since then he has been bombarded with paternity claims which have tarnished his image of an honest, clean, effective president and eroded his popularity in the second year of his term of office.

Mirta Miranda, daughter of the First Lady (and sister of President Lugo Mercedes Lugo de Maidana) said the 22-year old Fatima Rojas who married over the weekend is a frequent visitor of the Presidential palace and looks very much “like Lugo”. The Paraguayan leader was also present at the wedding party.

Ms Maidana, a frequent critic of President Lugo for not paying much attention to his family, revealed that the mother of the recently wed participated in family events with Lugo and “for years we all knew she was having an affair with him”

“She’s just like him; there’s no way he can deny Fatima is not his daughter”, said Maidana to a radio program in Asunción. “Her mother would travel with him wherever he went, as well as being present in family and social reunions. She was always very close to the President and shared many family moments with him”.

The mother of the young lady said it was a private issue and refused point blank to talk about it. “I have all the right in the world to keep my things private. I’m entitled to privacy” she was quoted in the Asuncion daily ABC Color.

Ms Maidan said that President Lugo was not present at the marriage of her sister’s only son but did come to Fatima’s and with “expensive gifts”.

After all “Uncle Lugo opened his heart to the situation and his favourite daughter”.

The newspaper also published that the husband of the newly wed, Luis Paciello (24) was directly contracted by the Yaciretá Binational Power Complex with a salary allegedly uncommon for his age and experience.

The Paraguayan president currently faces two paternity claims from two different women involving a child of two and another of six.

President Lugo with a fragile majority in Congress and deteriorating image could face an impeachment but the opposition is equally divided.

Lugo’s solicitor Marcos Fariña said it was yet another incident to tarnish the image of President Lugo who is proving to be an excellent president for Paraguayans, “particularly the needy and the most humble”.

Fernando Lugo was ordained priest in 1977 and became a bishop in 1994. He resigned to the clergy in 2006 to dedicate himself to politics.

He was chosen to lead a catch all coalition which put an end to sixty years of hegemonic rule from the Colorado Party.